About the Author
Sandra CH Smith
Author Info
Adventuring is in her DNA, says Sandra. At age 11, she spent a year studying in a village in a remote area of Scotland and all spare time was devoted to exploring dank and dark dungeons. (She had to beat up the school bully for calling her a "damned Yank" as she was the first American to attend that academy.) As a Beatnik teen in San Francisco, she hung out with Kesey, Ginsberg and other Beats. 30 years later, she was re-acquainted with Lawrence Ferlinghetti who became a frequent guest/crew aboard her pink sailboat docked at Pier 39 where she lived aboard before taking off for seas unknown. Smith studied Foreign Affairs at Geo. Washington Univ. while working for Senator Morse of Oregon. She later obtained a Master's degree from Grenoble University, France where she became totally fluent in French and spent 2 years becoming an expert on French wines, Cognacs and cheeses. Her high-profile careers include: asst. to Hewlett-Packard's director in Geneva, Switz., lobbyist for major Arts organizations, journalist, actor, exec. chef, and after ending her sailing adventures, she became innkeeper of her five-star B&B inn she built and ran for 26 years in Eureka Springs, AR.
When she bought the 35-ft. sailboat, she tossed out all the fancy navigating equipment, radar, and other electronics (says Sandra, "I'm not a techie!") and taught herself how to sail venturing alone up and down the coast of California. She then took off alone heading south equipped with just a compass, a chart and a prayer. While solo-sailing in the Pacific from San Francisco to the Polynesian Triangle off Easter Island, for 3+ years, she hosted her own on-board radio show, "As The Anchor Drags Radio Theater" and read on her weekly show the entire book of Treasure Island in various nightly segments plus many other books. Smith now lives outside Tucson in the High Sonoran Desert of Arizona and when not travelling, spends days creating exotic recipes and nights stargazing.
She is currently editing the sequel to her "Out of the Fog!" memoir which continues the saga of her solo sailing in the Pacific and will be available late 2024, entitled "Into the Light!"
News
Smith's newest book just published, Into the Light! When All Else Fails, Follow the Fish! ,is second in her three-book memoir about her seven-year adventure sailing mostly alone, sometimes with her rebellious teenage daughter, some 4,000+ miles in the Pacific. This sequel continues the author's adventures sailing down the Baja and escaping being chased by drug dealers and pirates. She then spends a year sailing and snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez with the 400 species of fish in what marine biologist Cousteau called, "the world's largest aquarium". Next comes a near fatal trip as she is lost at sea for five weeks 1800 miles off the coast of Central America helping a fellow cruiser get his sailboat to Costa Rica. The first book, Out of the Fog!, A Story of Survival, Faith and Courage, has already received many five-star reviews including these on Amazon.com:
"A wonderful celebration of living life fully. Smith's journey begins by breaking free of damaging behaviors and relationships, and it continues through emotional and physical challenges and victories. I was particularly moved by her adventures as a novice sailor, told with great humor and humility. It is an absorbing look at a woman growing and evolving while embracing the sheer joy of being strong and free." K.Rohne/St.Louis
"This is the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Sandra has a background in journalism and knows how to tell a story. And what a story she has to tell! The saga moves from the US to Europe and back again. From urban living to life on a 36 ft. sailboat, she had one adventure after another. The story never stops moving and you will be shown how adversity increases resolve and resolve overcomes obstacles."
Robert Rietschel, MD/Tucson AZ
Third book in the adventure trilogy, "One Wave At A Time", will be published Spring 2025 and readers will enjoy more adventures as the author spends six months as a landlubber in Guatemala and Honduras before continuing her sailing adventures.
Events
Sandra will be doing book-signings and autographing in area bookstores. She'd love to have you join her. Please email her for a schedule: SandraCHSmith.Author@gmail.com.
She was just recently guest author for a Tucson Book Club and received a wonderful response from all who read and attended the talk.
To anyone who has read Out of the Fog! and/or Into the Light!, she'd be thrilled to hear from you as to what you thought of the books or any neat things that came out of reading them that positively change your own life! Email her at SandraCHSmith.Author@gmail.com
